Automatic stoning-sorting machine



Aug. 22, '1950 I A. GARRIGUE HA 2,519,643

' AUTOMATIC STONING-SORTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. GARRIGUE ET AL AUTOMATIC STONING-SORTING MACHINE Aug. 22, 1950 Filed Jan. 14,1949

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 the distributors l2 that seize it and place it in front of the saw that completes the stoning.

. The space to be left between the two rollers amounts to the minimum thickness of the apricots allowed for the stoning machine, and the undersize fruit is automatically eliminated and drops below the machine. An adjustment of the spacing between the rollers enables fruit to be discarded that is below a given size and thus carry out a process of sorting according to size.

The assembly of the stoning machine properly 1 so. called, comprising the cutting saw it, the distributors ii, the leading-in rollers 6, may be supplied, at the top with an endless belt 2 bringing in the apricots, and at the bottom with another endless belt for discharging the cut portions, stones and unsuitable apricots towards their respective point of delivery.

' These accessory parts may be used for other stoning machines that are exactly the same and are located parallel to each other on the same table.

The various component parts of the machine are fastened and mounted on a metallic frame constituting a horizontal table 5. They may be established as follows:

The cutting saw consists of a circular disc, of rustless steel and provided with smooth cutting sectors and sectors provided with saw teeth. For instance, it may have a diameter of 300 mm. and be provided with eleven sectors each composed of a set of four notches giving 3 saw teeth of 1 cm. apart followed by a cutting portion of about 6 cm. long. These alternating stretches of cutters and of saw teeth enable the cutting out of the two portions of the fruit to be carried out under the best conditions accompanied by the discarding of the stone. The most satisfactory speed for the operation would appear to. be 200 R. P. M.

The ball bearings for the horizontal shaft it of thesaw are fastened on supporting longitudinal girders This shaft carries by the side of the saw, the driving pulley l3 and two grooved pulleys i5 that enable the motion to be conveyed by means of trapezoidal belt one to the driving shaft in of the distributors, therother to the driving shaft 3 of the conveyor belt 2 bringing the apricots from the receiving hopper I to the machine.

The stones are cast intoa chute of oval crosssection H, with its axis in the plane of: the saw [4, and fastened under the supporting metal plate 5 at right angles with the vertical tangent of the disc along an axis very slightly oblique outside the tangent. It brings them either into a container, or on to a collecting belt.

i' ThBI cut portions are steered in their fall by the shape of the notched metal plate I! in which passes the cutting saw, a. plate that is inclined downwards at about 45 of slope. They are collectedlikewise by a container or, better still, a

collecting belt.

' The distributors l2 have each been made up of two metal rings, fitted on a central spindle and between which is stretched a cylindrical sleeve of unbacked rubber, held in position-"by a brassring, screwed through the rubber on each of these 4 rings. The sleeve when it is positioned in this way assumes a slightly curved shape and full play may be made of their flexibility in the clear space between rings. They are driven in any suitable way, for instance, by bevel pinions from a cross shaft In parallel to the shaft 16 of the saw and driven by it.

They might be formed besides in quite a different way enabling driving surfaces to be efiected that are substantially cylindrical and flexible enough, for instance by bodies of solid rubber covered with a light layer of sponge rubber.

The rollers or leading-in cylinders B are each formed, in this example, by a metallic tube provided towards its higher end with a groove intended to take the round driving belt. The spindle of this cylinder, sloped at about 10 above the horizontal'and falling towards the distributors rests at the two ends in bronze sleeves fixed rigidly with suitable bearings, connected to the metal plate frame, by slides enabling the spacing apart of the rollers to be adjusted.

These rollers are supported, on the side located near the distributorsgby cheek plates that are as thin as possible and that are extended by guides in the shape of nipples 9 that hold the fruit, leaving the leading-in rollers, in position on edge and steer it in its short drop forward towards the distributor.

The motion of the two rollers, in opposite directions, is controlled by a round cross-belt between them and moved by a grooved pulley fastened on a horizontal and longitudinal shaft 1, itself driven, by means of bevel pinions, by the shaft ill driving the distributors. The preferable speed for the rollers appears to be about 200R..P.M. I

v The grooves and the belt are protected against an untimely fall of the fruit by a heading of the frame. In the same waya longitudinal casing, flush with the top of the rollers over all their length and fastened to the frame, prevents the fruit from being sidetracked when they fall on the latter. An opening of the frame-plate 5,

' furnished with a chute 8 straight below the first two-thirds in length of the rollers, enables the automatic discard to be effected of undersize fruit that goes through the space between the cylinders.

The feeding has been carried out in a very easy manner in this example of execution by means of a slightly rising belt 2, from which the fruit is tipped above the high end of the rollers 6. It is flush with. the bottom of a fixed hopper l of large area. The slopes of this bottom are designed so that every apricot placed on itrolls by itself, except for some impediment, as far as the conveyor-belt 2. V V

The movement of this belt is controlled by grooved pulley and trapezoidal beltor by bevel pinions and sprocket chain, its motion being taken, for instance, from the horizontal shaft of the cutting saw.

'What we claim is: I

1. Machine for stoning fruit such as apricots comprising in combination means for conveying and correctly orienting fruit, 'two cylinders rotating on vertical axes in opposite directions for the fruit, gripping s'urfaces n said "cylinders formed of yielding material for holding and moving said fruit forwardly without rotation during the stoning operation, and a circular cutting blade rotating downwardly between said cylinders having smooth out sectors interrupted by a saw cut sector for cutting the fruit along its middle plane and ejecting the stone.

2. Machine for stoning fruit such as apricots comprising in combination two parallel cylinders slightly inclined downwardly from the horizontal,

said cylinders being spaced from one another less than the minimum diameter admissible for the fruit, means for rotating said cylinders in opposite directions toconvey and correctly orientate the fruit, two rotating parts having cylindrical gripping surfaces of flexible material for gripping said fruit on leaving said cylinders and moving it forwardly without rotation during the stoning operation and a circular cutting blade rotating downwardly between said rotating parts having smooth out sectors interrupted by a saw cut sector for cutting the fruit along its middle plane and ejecting the stone. 7

3. Machine for stoning fruit such as apricots comprising in combination two parallel cylinders slightly inclined downwardly from the horizontal, said cylinders being spaced from one another less than the minimum diameter admissible for the fruit, means for rotating said cylinders in opposite directions to convey and correctly orientate the fruit, two rotating parts having cylindrical gripping surfaces of flexible material for gripping said fruit on leaving said cylinders and moving it forwardly without rotation during the stoning operation, fixed guides between said cylinders and said rotating parts for supporting the fruit during its passage, and a circular cutting blade rotating downwardly between said rotating parts having smooth cut sectors interrupted by a saw cut sector for cutting the fruit along its middle plane and ejecting the stone.

4. Machine according to claim 1, in which a chute is provided for discharge of the stones below the space between said cylinders.

5. Machine according to claim 1, in which said rotating cylinders are formed by a rubber sleeve clamped between two cheeks.

6. Machine according to claim 1, in which said rotating cylinders are formed by a core of rubber coated with a layer of sponge rubber.

ALBERT GARRIGUE. FRANCOIS SARRAHY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 376,904 Phillips Jan. 24, 1888 404,517 Briggs et al June 4, 1889 1,386,552 Carney Aug. 2, 1921 1,600,567 Roberts Sept. 21, 1926 1,683,918 Riddell Sept. 11, 1928 2,259,332 Winkelman Oct. 14, 1941 2,314,066 Ballou Mar. 16, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 208,867 Great Britain Aug. 9, 1923 

